Think & Tinker, Ltd.
P.O. Box 1606, Palmer Lake, CO 80133
Tel: (719) 488-9640, Fax: (866) 453-8473
Sales: Sales@thinktink.com, Support: Support@thinktink.com
Think
&
Tinker
Ltd.





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secure Think & Tinker, Ltd.
Polymer Based Conductive Ink
Through-hole Activation Supplies
lgotre50
Phone (719 488-9640)
Fax. (719-481-0464)
Conductive Ink

Think & Tinker has been involved in the development and formulation of conductive screen printing inks for over 20 years. Applications of our products have included:
  • through-hole plating in printed circuits
  • circuit formation on flexible substrates
  • printing of interactive children's books
  • printing active electronic circuits on clothing
  • anti-static coatings for sensitive electronic packages
  • electronic shielding for secure electronics
Hole-wall activation (or through-hole activation) is any process that is used to prepare the walls of holes drilled through copperclad substrates for the electro-deposition of one or more metals.  In other words, it is a way to get your circuit board ready for through-hole plating.

Conventional thu-hole plating Conventional through-hole processing usually relies on 3 or more baths to prepare the hole walls for copper plating. Originally, this plating base was "electroless" copper. Recent advances have replaced the somewhat unstable electroless process with one that deposits a thin layer of colloidal carbon, which, when dried, forms a continuous conductive film connecting the copper foil on both sides of the board with the hole walls. This film is sufficiently conductive to support rapid, reliable electroplating of the walls of all of the through-holes. The only real disadvantage of the process is its dependence on a VERY thin carbon film. Boards that are hand drilled or drilled at low spindle RPMs often have very rough hole-walls. As shown in the photo, the roughness is accurately replicated, and sometimes made worse during conventional hole-wall activation / plating.


In 1984 Think & Tinker patented a family of conductive plating inks that offer a single step solution to hole wall activation. Our ink is a low viscosity blend of silver and three forms of carbon in a thermally cured binder. It is formulated to fill in gaps and scratches in hole-walls to provide a smooth, reliable base for electroplating. The binder that we use is specifically designed to form strong adhesive bonds with FR-4, polyamide, and other common PCB substrates. For technical details, please click on the Specifications button below.
Conductive ink specifications
For pricing and ordering information,
click on the ORDER FORM button
MSDS


Established 1990

On the web since 1994

Sales: 1-(719) 488-9640    Tech Support: 1-(719) 488-9640    Fax: 1-(866) 453-8473
Copyright © 1994 - 2014 Think & Tinker, Ltd.